It is better to have input from people with a wide range of experience
levels, it results in a fairer vote that actually represents the
population, rather than putting PHP under the control of a select few.

No, it is not. This has nothing to do with "fairness", as we are not
enacting laws, levying taxes or distributing subsidies here. To have input
from many people is great, moreover - it is necessary. However, it is not
the same as deciding by arithmetical majority of votes of whoever cares to
vote on technical questions.

Is this one in particular really 'a technical question'? To me it looks more
like a simple decision about whether or not to bring new syntax into the
core, which would affect every user out there and which is really more to do
with peoples' ideas about what constitues simplicity. Most of the time I'd
agree that the discussions held on this list are rather more technical by
nature and there's a real problem with people who really don't understand
the ramifications chiming in, but this is a bit different.

- Steph (who has no interest whatever in seeing 500+ emails a week on
internals@ or in adding sugar just "because it's there")